Harmony Physiotherapy is located in Coquitlam and provides healthcare services that aid in the recovery of the body. One of our most popular services is massage therapy. Studies have shown that massage therapy is useful for conditions such as stress, anxiety, headaches, sports injuries, digestive disorders, repetitive strain injuries, postural imbalances, and temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD). The main objective of massage is dependant on how the client’s condition presents and what their needs are. Treatment plans and home care exercises are given on a client by client basis.
The different types of massage that we provide are:
Relaxation
A relaxation style of massage tends to use gentle strokes or kneading and a light to moderate pressure on the body. The goal of relaxation massage is to decrease stress, relax muscles, decrease pain, and work out areas of tension in the body. This is achieved by bringing blood flow to affected muscles and tissues to help nourish cells and take metabolites away. If you find yourself feeling stressed from work or school, or if you just want some relaxation, this type of massage can help you to get yourself centred and feeling good.
Clinical
Clinical massage is evidence based practice massage therapy aimed at treating a wide range of different conditions. Massage therapists will use varied special tests to help get an understanding of what kind of injury or dysfunction has possibly been sustained, and therefore what kind of treatment to implement. Therapists will set their patients up with a treatment plan, as well as home care exercises and stretches to take with them to help facilitate the healing process.
Sports
Sports massage is a collection of different techniques used to treat the athlete or active individuals post, pre, or during a sporting event. Pre and during event treatments are usually shorter in length, but are intense and fast paced. The therapist works to “wake up” the muscles and increase body proprioception by doing lots of jostling and shaking to the muscle groups and passive range of motion of the body’s limbs. Doing this causes nerve pathways to fire and increases blood flow to the intended muscles and joints. Post treatment sport massage works on decreasing the onset of delayed muscle soreness (DOMS), correcting any muscle imbalances, and preventing or treating any injuries the athlete obtained during the event.
TMJ
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction is used to refer to any complications or pain with the joint of the jaw. These complications can be caused by a number of issues such as trauma, overuse (such as chewing on only one side of the jaw), clenching or grinding of teeth, misalignment of teeth, or even poor posture through the neck and shoulders. Massage can help TMD by easing muscle tension through the jaw and neck, and therefore decreasing stress on the joint. Finding the root cause of the problem and patient education are an important factor in treating this condition.
